This document discusses the use of lasers in prosthodontics. It describes how lasers are used for soft and hard tissue procedures like crown lengthening, gingival retraction, and implant uncovering. Lasers provide benefits like less pain, bleeding, and faster healing compared to traditional techniques. The document also outlines how lasers are used in areas like removable prosthetics, implantology, and maxillofacial prosthetics for procedures like torus reduction, peri-implantitis treatment, and prosthesis fabrication.

1. LASERS : THE 21ST CENTURY
RACERS IN PROSTHODONTICS

2. • Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation
• Term coined by GORDON GOULD ,1957
• Father of laser: Albert Einstein
• Laser light is a man-made single
photon wavelength.
VISIBLE LIGHT LASER LIGHT

3. Why Lasers In Prosthodontics
• Prosthodontics takes all concepts of dentistry and
integrates effective comprehensive treatment
planning.
• It include a wide variety of patients seeking a
diverse range of care:
• Fearful patients
• Patients with complex
medical histories
• Patient allergic to
anesthetics
Lasers have become an integral part of
treatment for these patients

4. Painless,
Bloodless &
Clean surgical
ADVANTAGES
field.
No or
minimal need
for
anesthesia.
Laser kills
bacteria, risk
of infection is
reduced
No
postoperative
discomfort,
and swelling.
Superior and
faster healing
LASER

5. LASERS ON BASIS OF
APPLICATION IN DENTISTRY
• SOFT TISSUE LASERS
• HARD TISSUE LASERS

6. SOFT TISSUE LASERS
• No suturing
• Little or No bleeding
• Painless
• Quicker
• A traumatic

7. HARD TISSUE LASERS
• Quicker
• More accurate
• More comfortable
• Better results

8. Application in

9. FIXED PROSTHETICS/ESTHETICS
• Soft tissue management around abutments.
• Crown lengthening.
• Osseous crown lengthening.
• Troughing.
• Formation of ovate pontic sites.
• Modification of soft tissue around laminates

10. SOFT TISSUE MANAGEMENT
AROUND ABUTMENTS
• ARGON laser provide
excellent Hemostasis
and Coagulation
• Gingival Retraction for
making impression
during a crown and
bridge procedure
becomes easy

11. CROWN LENGHTNING
INDICATIONS
Insufficient clinical crown length
Caries at gingival margin
Endodontic perforations near
alveolar crest.
Unaesthetic gingival architecture.
Cosmetic enhancement.

12. LASER TROUGHING
• A trough is created around a tooth before
impression making using Nd:YAG laser.
• This can entirely replace the need for
retraction cord, electro cautery, and the use of
haemostatic agents.
Gingival troughing with the diode laser exposes finish lines

13. FORMATION OF OVATE PONTIC SITES
• Two most common causes of unsuitable pontic
site:
Insufficient compression of alveolar plates after
an extraction
Non replacement of a fractured alveolar plate.
Unsuitable pontic site results in un esthetic and
non self cleansing pontic design.
• For favorable pontic design laser re-contouring of
soft and bony tissue may be needed

14. MODIFICATION OF SOFT TISSUE
AROUND LAMINATES
The removal and re-contouring of gingival
tissues around laminates can be easily
accomplished with the Argon laser

15. REMOVABLE PROSTHETICS
Tuberosity reduction
Torus reduction
Soft tissue lesions
Residual ridge modification

16. TUBEROSITY REDUCTION
• The most common reason for enlarged Tuberosity
usually is soft tissue hyperplasia
• It affects stability of prosthesis
• Surplus soft tissue should be excised using soft tissue
lasers

17. TORUS REDUCTION
• Tori and exostoses are formed mainly of compact bone.
• They may cause ulceration of oral mucosa.
• They may also interfere with lingual bars or flanges of
mandibular prostheses.
• Soft tissue lasers may be use to expose the exostoses and
Erbium lasers may be use for the osseous reduction.

18. SOFT TISSUE LESIONS
Epulis fissurata, Denture stomatitis
• Persistent trauma from a sharp denture flange
• Over compression of the posterior dam area
• The lesion can be excised with any of the soft tissue
lasers and the tissue allowed to re epithelialize.

19. RESIDUAL RIDGE MODIFICATION
• For proper retention, stability and support for
the prosthesis, residual ridge modification is
done with lasers, in pre prosthetic preparation
phase for
• Under cuts
• Flabby tissue

20. IMPLANTOLOGY
• Second stage uncovering.
• Implant site preparation.
• Peri-implantitis.

21. SECOND STAGE UNCOVERING
• Following the placement of implant and its Osseo
integration, Er:YAG laser can be used to uncover implants
ADVANTAGES OVER CONVENTIONAL SURGERY
• Little blood contamination (haemostatic effects)
• Minimal tissue shrinkage
• Eliminate trauma to the tissues during flap reflection
• Impressions can be obtained at the same appointment

22. Two implants are being
uncovered using a scalpel.
Excess soft tissue being
removed using laser

23. Immediately healing caps are laser
exposed and soft tissue is re contoured
Soft tissue healing within 2 weeks

24. IMPLANT SITE PREPARTION
• Lasers can be used for the placement of mini
implants especially in patients with potential
bleeding problems, to provide essentially
bloodless surgery in the bone

25. PERI-IMPLANTITIS
• Lasers can be used to repair ailing implants by
decontaminating their surfaces with laser
energy.
• Lasers can also be used to remove inflamed
granulation tissue around an already
osseointegrated implant.
• Diode, CO2 & Er:YAG lasers can be used for
this purpose.

26. RECENT ADVANCES IN LASERS

27. MAXILLOFACIAL
PROSTHESIS
• Topologic data of the patient’s deformity is
acquired using laser surface digitizing, the
procedure is called Laser Holography Imaging
• Lasers aid in creating a visually realistic
prosthesis that can provide an illusion of
normal appearance.

28. Laser welding
An attractive alternative method to join
dental casting alloys such as broken clasp
Advantages over Conventional Soldering
No need for investment and soldering alloy
Working time is decreased
Easy to operate
Minimal heat damage to denture base resin

29. • Ultraviolet (helium-cadmium) laser-initiated
polymerization of liquid resin in a chamber, to
create surgical templates for implant surgery
and major reconstructive oral surgery.

30. • Laser scanning of casts can be linked to
computerized milling equipment for
fabrication of restorations from porcelain and
other materials.